Browsing vs. brawling

Black Friday was busy but not particularly out of the ordinary at Regalo Bello, a home décor, accessories, gift and baby-clothing shop on Pacific Avenue in Stockton.

Reed Fujii

Black Friday was busy but not particularly out of the ordinary at Regalo Bello, a home décor, accessories, gift and baby-clothing shop on Pacific Avenue in Stockton.

In fact, the owners, sisters Stephanie Dondero and Shaunna Brandt, had spent Thanksgiving with their families and were still looking forward to their own annual blowout this weekend.

"We have a Christmas holiday open house on Sunday," Dondero said. "It kicks off the holiday season."

No, she wasn't expecting an early morning crush of shoppers like those who jammed the big-box discount stores, including folks who had camped out for days on sidewalks in hopes of steep discounts on flat-screen televisions, appliances or must-have Christmas toys.

Rather, she's one among locally owned stores who opened at their regular hours, or perhaps slightly extended hours, hoping to draw out loyal customers with specialized merchandise, a lot less hype and more personal service and attention.

Take Craig Rose of Rio Vista.

"I usually stay away from the crowds. That's why I'm here in downtown Lodi," he said while shopping at Lodi Cooks, a kitchenware and cooks' store on School Street.

He also planned on dropping by nearby Joe Hassan's Clothing & Western Wear, another small store, and perhaps catching a late breakfast with his family.

Meyer Puzon, co-owner of Lodi Cooks, said he can't compete with the big-box retailers on price. But he does depend heavily on folks like Rose during the holiday shopping period, doing anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of his annual sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Puzon does try to keep prices low, but he offers a dizzying array of unusual but useful kitchen gadgets and accessories.

"The key is to have the inventory to sell and have the right inventory," he said. "We continue to provide the products and services our customers are looking for."

And what Puzon is looking for is his strongest sales of the recent past.

"If I'm going with what we've had for the year (to date), I'm anticipating a better Christmas than last year. Actually, I'm going to say a better Christmas than the last three years."

Debbie Robillard, owner of the Hands-On Educational Supply Store just a few doors down from Regalo Bello in the Stonecreek Village shopping center, was also looking for a good holiday season. She opened the Stockton location, her second, just last year.

But Black Friday is not her big day.

"We do well the Friday and Saturday, the days after Thanksgiving," she said. Her strongest sales usually come the Saturday before Christmas.

Robillard, too, offers products not found in big-box stores, such as math, language arts, science and social studies supplies, as well as room decorations, home schooling materials and a good selection of educational toys and games.

Business is looking up, too, at Eagle's Nest Harley-Davidson on Harlan Road in Lathrop.

General Manager Tom Horn pointed to a storage area jammed with motorcycles in for service or repairs. "Normally, our shop would be empty at this time of year," he said.

That's got the dealership, which was hit hard by the recession, seeing a recovery.

"We're hoping to finish this year strong," Horn said. After three years of lower sales, he added, "We feel we're on the upswing right now."

Sales of motorcycles are strongest in spring, summer and early fall, he said, but accessories, such as clothing, safety equipment and gift items, sell well at the holidays. Or as dealership posters suggest, cross out the holiday cheer and substitute Harley gear.

That suits Alan Rush of Foresthill, a long-haul trucker who describes himself as a third-generation motorcycle enthusiast.

"This is pretty much the only place I'm doing holiday shopping," said Rush, who was trying on new boots and leather chaps for his riding gear.

"When it comes to the guy in your life, the lady in your life or the kid in your life, they have it. I know that I'm covered when I come in here."

Julie Gikas, a regular customer of Regalo Bello, sticks to her own goals when shopping on Black Friday, refusing to be drawn in by door-buster bargains.

"It's not about finding that great deal. It's about finding the right gift for the right person," she said. "I'm looking for something specific."

Plus, she loves the creative flair displayed by the home décor shop.

"They're very creative here, and they give me a lot of ideas," she said.